Don't Leave me Alone
by Avenger Uchiha
Summary: Sasuke hasn't had an easy life and now that Itachi is once again living in Konoha it seems like things have become even more complicated. At least he has someone to share it with...or does he? Yaoi KxS and more COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

Don't Leave me Alone

A few notes: This is slightly AU...then again I guess most fanfiction is AU.

Anyway, the most important thing to know is that Itachi is in Konoha. More about this will be explained as the story goes on, but just realize that he is living there and that he is going to be a main part of this story, but not the way you would think.

This is going to be a lemon/limeish type story but those chapters will be put in a different place so younger readers are protected.

I would appreciate reviews but please no flaming. Constructive critism is accepted and appreciated.

That is all for now. Hope you enjoy!

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Sasuke lay curled up against his lover, one arm draped around the chest of the man who had claimed him as his own. He wanted to just lay like this forever. He could hear the sounds of a morning in Konoha outside the window and he knew that he would have to rise soon. Neighbors were yelling their hellos to friends that passed by, the morning birds were chirping as they flew from building to building in search of food, and the sounds of children headed to school flouted up from the street. Sasuke kept his eyes shut, not wanting to accept that daylight was streaming through the window at the head of the bed and casting a warm glow upon the white sheets that were wrapped around the two bodies that occupied it.

Burying his face in the naked side of the man that was still sleeping soundly beside him, hoping that he might continue to stay like this for the rest of the day and into the next night. He knew however that his lover's internal clock would rise him within the next few minutes and they would be forced to rise. Sasuke decided to relish these last few moments, snuggling as close to him as he could.

A groan of waking escaped from the lips of the beside Sasuke and he felt an arm get wrapped around him as the man rolled over and gathered his young lover closer. Sasuke happily pressed himself against his chest, nuzzling his chest with his nose.

"Morning comes too soon..." the deep and sexy voice sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. Sasuke couldn't agree more with the statement.

"Then let's ignore it..." Sasuke mumbled into the sweet smelling skin of the man's chest.

"You know as well as I do that we can't." Sasuke whined a little as the arms were removed and the man next to him sat up in bed. He also sat up though, knowing he couldn't argue.

Warm and soft lips pressed gently against Sasuke's as he sat up. He wrapped his arms around his lover as he started to kiss him back a little hungrily, but before it could go to far the man broke it with an amused smile. "Good morning to you too."

Sasuke pouted a little and watched as the man stood up, the sun catching his naked body as he walked across the room to his dresser to get some clothes. Sasuke stayed in bed, knowing his clothes were laying in a pile right next to the bed and in no hurry to put them on. He had to return to his own home to get some clean ones, but there was still a slight sliver of hope that he wouldn't have to and they would just go back to bed.

"Why do we have to get up Kakashi? Can't we just stay here...we don't have any missions today." Sasuke kept his eyes attached to the body of Kakashi as he watched him slowly getting dressed.

Kakashi chuckled a little, "We don't know if we have missions until we go and see the Hokage. You better get up before Naruto or someone shows up wondering what is taking us so long."

Sasuke sighed and slid his feet to the floor, bending down to pick up his clothes. "Naruto couldn't care less where I was and you are always late anyway so he won't come looking for you." He stood up and started to get dressed as well.

"True...but you never know." Kakashi walked over to pick up his kunai that were sitting on the bedside table and put a hand on Sasuke's head, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Stop complaining. We go through this every morning. I didn't realize you were so lazy Sasuke-kun." Kakashi said with a playful wink. Sasuke looked up at him, admiring the handsome face. He was amazing to look at, despite the painful scar that ran across the Sharingan eye.

"I just want to stay with you...its not laziness." Sasuke finished getting dressed, wrapping the head protector around his forehead. Kakashi removed his hand from Sasuke's hair and walked to the mirror to finish getting ready. He started to put on his mask. "You should leave that off..."

"Only you are allowed to see my face Sasuke. You should feel honored," the playful smile once again appeared on Kakashi's face as he looked at Sasuke through the mirror.

Sasuke actually did feel a little pleased with that and walked over to the door. "I need to get some clean clothes and then I'll meet you at the bridge." Kakashi put his hand out and grabbed Sasuke's arm as he was reaching for the door knob. Kakashi pulled the mask down a little so that his mouth was revealed and he kissed Sasuke for the briefest of moments before releasing his arm.

"You can't just leave without a goodbye kiss." Kakashi replaced the mask and stood back to look in the mirror again. "you're so adorable Sasuke-kun when your hair is standing up like that when you first wake up."

Sasuke blushed a little and hurried from the room, hearing Kakashi laughing softly as he left. Sasuke hated it when Kakashi attached the kun to his name when they were alone. It made him feel young and innocent...both of which he didn't feel applied to him. But sometimes Kakashi did it, in order to tease him. And he always attached it when they were around the rest of Team 7. He didn't want anything to appear out of the ordinary when the others were around. Their relationship was a secret and had been for several weeks now. Sasuke tried to smooth his hair down as he hurried towards his house, trying not to be seen by anyone he knew. They had both done their best to keep their feelings hidden, not sure how everyone would react had they known about them.

As Sasuke entered his home he almost ran right into Itachi because he had been thinking about Kakashi, a blush still turning his cheeks a slight pink. As he came in contact with the hard chest of his brother he fell backwards a few steps before regaining his balance. He stared up at his brother a little angrily, ashamed that he had been caught off guard, as well as caught coming into his home in his current rumpled state. "What are you doing here Itachi?"

Itachi stared down at his brother, his face blank and his eyes a dull black. "Waiting for you. Where have you been little brother?"

Sasuke pushed past him and headed towards his room. "What do you care? It's none of your business anyway."

Itachi looked over his shoulder and watched as Sasuke stormed towards his room. "He'll hurt you eventually you know. They always do."

Sasuke came to an abrupt stop and spun around, facing his brother with a stunned and confused expression on his face. "W-what are you talking about??"

"Kakashi will hurt you. A lover can not be faithful forever." Itachi still held the same blank expression, looking slightly bored with the whole conversation that he had started.

"How do you know about that!?!" Sasuke half ran back to the side of his brother. When he reached him he stared up at him, a mix of fear and surprise now distorting his young features.

"I know you too well foolish little brother. You can't hide anything from me. I warn you to be careful and not get too attached. We all know how lucky you are when it comes to losing loved ones." Itachi turned and started to head towards the door.

"Losing loved ones has always been all your fault! If you screw this up Itachi or take him away from me in anyway, I'll kill you!" Sasuke balled his hands into fists, his body trembling slightly from the fear and anger that were cursing through his body as he stared at the back of the man that he still couldn't decide if he admired, loved, feared, or hated.

"You have said that to me before and yet I'm still standing here. Try your best little brother. But fear not. I won't be the one to take this one from you. I'm sure he'll do that all on his own." Itachi opened the door and left without looking at Sasuke again.

Sasuke stared at the closed door in shock. Itachi was up to something, he knew it. He just wished he was strong enough to do something about it. Ever since his brother had been allowed to stay on the outskirts of Konoha, Sasuke has been a mess of confused emotions. He had been mad at the council for allowing him anywhere near Konoha, and he was angry at himself for not being able to do what he had vowed to do since the deaths of his family so many years ago. Sasuke not battled with emotions for his brother that he had hoped had died with his family when he was a child. Deep down he still respected and loved his brother, but the bitterness, fear, and hatred raged in his heart as well.

Not wanting to think about his brother any more he turned and ran down the hall, slamming into his bedroom to get ready. He needed to see Kakashi again, and as soon as possible.

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Next chapter out soon! Please review!


	2. Elder's Decision

Chapter 2: The Elder's Decision

Sasuke rushed to the normal meeting place for Team 7. He just knew he would be the last one to show up, which was rare for the top rookie. He saw that Sakura and Naruto were already there and slowed his pace to a walk, not wanting to look like he was in as much of a rush as he was. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked at a nonchalant pace for the rest of the distance. Sakura heard him coming and turned to wave and smile at him.

"Sasuke-kun!! Good morning!" Sasuke almost twitched at her over excited greeting. Sometimes her obsession with him and her never ending quest to impress him got on his nerves. Usually he was able to just tune her out, much like he did Naruto, but sometimes even Uchiha Sasuke had bad days. And this was one of them.

Sasuke walked past her without a word as she continued to happily spout question after question at him. He tried to ignore her but even her voice was starting to grate on his nerves. All he wanted was to see Kakashi, but the teacher had yet to arrive apparently. This only made Sasuke's mood even worse.

Naruto was seated on the ground, legs stuck out in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. He glared up at his rival and Sasuke in turn glared back as he walked past him. "You're getting to be as bad as Kakashi-sensei."

"Shut up stupid..." Sasuke mumbled as he picked a spot on the railing and leaned his back against it.

Naruto was about to jump up and pick a fight when Kakashi finally arrived. "Yo.." he said simply, holding up one hand as he walked up from the opposite direction that Sasuke had come.

"You're late!" Sasuke and Naruto shouted. Sasuke just looked at Kakashi from the corner of his eye as the other two voiced their disapproval of Kakashi's late entrance.

"so what is our mission today? Protecting the ruler of a nearby village? Saving a kidnapped child from a mob of vicious ninjas?" Naruto jumped to his feet and looked at Kakashi hopefully.

Kakashi shook his head, "No missions today."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, some hope flooding his body that they would have the day off and he could maybe go back to bed. That would make his day a whole lot better.

"Are we going to be training today?" Sakura asked, walking up to stand next to where Sasuke was leaning.

Kakashi shook his head again, "Nope."

"Then what are we doing!?!" Naruto crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Cleaning," Kakashi said, a smile evident beneath the blue mask.

"CLEANING!?!" All three genin piped. Even Sasuke looked at Kakashi shocked. Cleaning was not his idea of a good day.

Kakashi walked past them, "Cleaning." He headed towards the direction of the Hokage's manor. All three of his companions grumbled behind him but followed. They knew there was going to be no arguing over the matter.

They were silent until they started to climb the stairs up to the main offices of the Hokage and the elders. Sasuke's steps slowed a little the higher they got until he fell behind Naruto. He had been here a few weeks earlier when Itachi had shown up suddenly. Both Uchiha's had gone before the council and Sasuke had been shocked to learn that Itachi wanted to stay in Konoha.

"We'll be cleaning out some of the Third's rooms to make room for the new Hokage's things," Kakashi said, breaking through Sasuke's memories.

Naruto whined loudly, "Tsunade-bachan should clean that herself. Why do we have to do it?"

"She requested you specifically Naruto and so the elders made it a group project. Think of it as a mission to move in the new Hokage," Kakashi walked down the hallway towards the rooms that were to be cleaned. Naruto continued to grumble as he walked but didn't push the issue any further.

Kakashi stopped and pulled out a small yellow piece of paper. He looked down at it, "Sakura, you take this room. Naruto the next, and Sasuke the one after that." He looked up from his paper and turned his head to look at his team. "All items need to be packed up and set aside so we can transport them to a storage area." All three groaned but headed to their assigned rooms.

Before Naruto entered his he looked back at Kakashi, "And what are you going to do?"

"Supervise," Kakashi said, his eyes smiling at them.

"EEEHHH??" Naruto almost fell over. "That's it!?! Why do we have to do all the work??"

"Quit complaining and just do it idiot," Sasuke said, growing tired of Naruto's complaints. He walked into his own room and sighed heavily. This room was full of books. He could hear Naruto yelling at him from outside but he ignored it as he started to walk around the room. He saw several boxes stacked in the corner and assumed those were there for him to fill. He walked past the shelves of books to the window and looked outside. His eyes scanned the village below and they immediately fell on the familiar figure of his brother seated on top of a nearby home. Sasuke glared at the figure below him and almost as if Itachi knew he was being watched, he turned his head to look at the window that Sasuke was in. The glance was brief but enough that Sasuke knew that Itachi knew he was up there. It sent a shiver of fear down his spine. He may hate his brother, but he also feared him.

Sasuke's mind wandered back to the day they had gone before the elders. They had summoned Sasuke and Kakashi to their meeting room. When Sasuke had walked in he had noticed Itachi immediately.

"Itachi..." Sasuke almost spat his name at him as he glared at the brother that had taken everything from him. "What the hell are you doing here?" Sasuke tried to appear calm, but what he really wanted to do was to rush at him and tear out his throat.

"Uchiha Itachi has requested to live in Konoha," the male elder said.

Sasuke's heart almost choked him as he heard these words, "You aren't really considering are you? He'll kill everyone one in the village without a second thought!"

"We have thought about that fact, and according to Itachi, he has no motives for killing anyone in the village," the woman said.

"And you believe him?" Sasuke growled and took a step forward but felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back. He looked up at Kakashi who was staring at Itachi, his eyes serious.

"Please sit down, both of you, so that we may begin the proceedings," the man said.

It was only then that Sasuke realized that Tsunade was also in the room. Kakashi led Sasuke over to a place behind Itachi and slightly to his left, as Sasuke looked at Tsunade, who seemed to be deep in thought.

Once they were seated the elders started. "Uchiha Itachi. We have heard your statement and vow to not harm the village in any way. Although we do not trust you, we want to try. We are providing you with a home that is located just outside the village boundaries that you can consider your own. You are herby permitted to enter and leave Konoha Village at will, but the following restrictions will apply..."

Sasuke leapt to his feet, "I can't believe you are going to just let him run around free!" Shock was written one very inch of his face. "Do you not remember what he did?? Don't you think he will do it again if given the change? This is just the opportunity he needs!"

"Uchiha Sasuke, please sit back down and wait until we are finished before speaking. Otherwise we will have you removed," The female elder said, staring sternly at the youngest of the surviving Uchihas.

Sasuke sat back down slowly, his body trembling a little from the anger that was cursing through him. He felt Kakashi's hand lightly touch the small of his back in an effort to calm him. He looked over at Kakashi but the man beside him was staring straight at the Elders, his eyes still very serious.

The male elder continued, "Itachi. If you don't follow the following restrictions you will be dealt with accordingly. Breaking any of these rules in any way could resulting immediate execution." The elders looked at Itachi to make sure he was listening and understood what they were saying. Itachi merely nodding his head silently, his typical stoic expression upon his face. "These are the restrictions...One...any form of violence towards any village member at any time will not be allowed. Two...you are not to use any form of jutsu within the village boundaries. Three...you are not allowed within the village boundaries after dark. Four..You are not allowed within 100 feet of Uchiha Sasuke." The elders were quiet for a moment before looking towards Tsunade to finish the proceedings.

Tsunade was now glaring at Itachi. "Uchiha Itachi, do you understand and agree to the aforementioned restrictions?"

Itachi looked at her, "I do."

"Do you understand that breaking any of these could result in your immediate death?"

"I do."

"Do you think that will stop him? Do you honestly think anyone in this village is any match for him?" Sasuke growled as he halfway stood up but Kakashi pulled him back down. The older man had yet to say anything. Sasuke looked over at Kakashi, "Are you going to let this happen?" He looked around at them again, his anger starting to mix with the fear that had been hidden deep inside his heart for so many years, "Don't any of you remember what he did?"

Itachi had turned his head to look over his shoulder at his younger brother. His expression still not changing from one that almost seemed bored with the whole proceeding. As Sasuke met his eyes an expression passed through them very quickly that made him immediately sit back a little. He couldn't place it but for a brief second he wanted to be able to trust his brother, and that almost made him sick to his stomach. Itachi turned back to the elders then to listen to the rest of what they had to say.

The elders chose to ignore Sasuke's latest outburst, "Itachi, you are hereby reinstated as a member of the Konoha community. You may go, but please remember the restrictions."

Itachi bowed low to the elders before standing up. Sasuke also got to his feet but was immediately stopped. "Sasuke...we want to talk to you."

As Itachi was leaving he paused at the door long enough to look over his shoulder once again at Sasuke. "Foolish little brother..." he whispered just loud enough for Sasuke to hear before he left, closing the door behind him.

Sasuke looked at the elders, waiting to hear what they wanted to say to him. Nothing would be able to calm the anger he was feeling towards them at this moment though. "Uchiha Sasuke...you are also required to stay away from Itachi. We would prefer you didn't go searching for him or attempt to provoke him in anyway. We are willing to give Itachi a chance, we hope you will to. We understand how much he has hurt not only you, but the village, but we also know that everyone deserves to have a second chance to make amends for their actions. Please take care and don't do anything rash...."

"What happened to cleaning the room?" A familiar voice broke Sasuke from his daydream and when strong arms wrapped around him, he almost collapsed against the warm chest behind him.

"I got distracted..." Sasuke said simply, his gaze once again going to the figure on the roof below.

Kakashi immediately saw what Sasuke was looking at and gave him a comforting squeeze, "Its been two weeks and he hasn't done anything...I'm as surprised as you are and I'm sure you are thinking the same as me...that he's just biding his time."

"he was in my house this morning..."

Kakashi immediately drew back and turned Sasuke so that he was facing him. He put his hands on his young lovers shoulders and leaned towards him. Sasuke noticed that he had pulled his mask down and the forehead protector was pulled up to reveal both eyes. "He broke one of the restrictions? Are you okay? Did he say or do anything?"

"I'm fine...I'm not going to tell the elders about it." He stared into Kakashi's eyes, "It doesn't matter." He put his arms around Kakashi's waist and laid his head against his chest. "I don't know what he is planning, but I'm going to stop him before he does anything."

"Sasuke..."

"I know...don't do anything rash. I don't plan on it." Sasuke stepped back, dropping his hands and moving past Kakashi towards where the boxes were stacked. "I better start packing...I'm sure Naruto thinks of this as a race by now."

Kakashi laughed and replaced the covers on his face as he walked over. He wrapped his arms once again around Sasuke and nuzzles his ear from behind, "In fact he does...so good luck. You know who I'll be routing for." He let him go and headed towards the door.

"Let me guess...Sakura." Sasuke said with a small smile on his lips as he picked up the first box.

Kakashi chuckled as he opened the door and left the room. Sasuke watched him leave before heading over to the first shelf of books and starting to pack them up.

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	3. Unwanted Letter

Naruto's entire body was trembling angrily as he stood in front of the room Sasuke had exited several minutes before. The room was completely bare, as were the orders. From where he was leaning against the wall of the Hokage's manor, he could see into the only halfway cleaned room that Naruto had been assigned. A slight smirk came to his lips briefly as he saw Naruto's fists ball up at his sides.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto spun around and stomped his way over to where Kakashi was crouched a few feet from the rooms, his nose buried in his book. He looked up briefly as Naruto approached and then looked back down. Naruto stopped in front of his teacher. "Sasuke cheated!"

Sasuke looked over to where his rival and his lover were, quirking an eyebrow. "Idiot...how could I cheat at something like this?"

Kakashi looked up again as Naruto turned his head to glare over his shoulder at Sasuke. "Naruto-kun...this wasn't a competition. All you needed to do was clean the room. Since you are out here I assume you are finished..."

Naruto's eyebrows twitched as he slowly spun his head back around to face Kakashi. "Ano...actually..."

Before Naruto could say anything more Sakura came out of her room, wiping sweat from her brow onto the back of her wrist. "Done...I can't believe the Hokage had so many files on everyone in the village."

The smirk returned to Sasuke's face, "Looks like you came in last Naruto..."

At this realization Naruto fell over and laid in a pile of twitching limbs at Kakashi's feet. As Sakura passed by the room Naruto had been assigned on her way to Sasuke's side she almost fell over as well.

"NARUTO! What have you been doing?? This room isn't even close to being done!" Sakura glared at the twitching mass for several seconds before turned and smiling towards Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun...you finished so quickly. So impressive," she cooed as she made her way over to his side.

Kakashi stood up and closed his book. "Naruto..you can't leave until you finish." He stuffed his right hand in his pocket and walked past him towards the other two members of his team, book still up in front of his face. "Everyone else gets to go home."

"WHAT!?!" Naruto leapt to his feet and hurried after Kakashi.

Kakashi stopped and looked over his shoulder at Naruto. "You failed to finish the mission. What would happen if this was a field mission and completion meant the difference between a person living and dying? Your person would be dead."

A sudden look of determination washed over naruto's face and he rushed into his room. Kakashi smiled a little and walked the rest of the way to where Sasuke and Sakura were waiting. He lowered his book, placing it in the pocket of his vest. "Today's mission is over. We can leave Naruto to..."  
  
"Kakashi!"

Kakashi stopped as he heard his name being called, the tone of voice sounding urgent. He looked at the running form of one of the ninjas that served the Hokage. "Yes?"

The ninja stopped just in front of Kakashi, "You need to meet with Hokage-sama immediately. I believe she has an urgent mission for you."

Kakashi nodded and stepped past his team members. "That is all for today..." He disappeared from sight along with the other ninja, leaving Sasuke and Sakura standing there looking curiously at the space he had previously filled.

Sasuke was particularly interested but he just shrugged it off and pushed himself away from the wall with his foot. He started to walk down the hallway towards the door, silently hoping that Sakura wouldn't follow. His hopes were dashed though as she trotted up behind him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and tried to ignore her as she came up next to him and started to jabber on about things that he wasn't really concerned about.

As he exited the manor he stopped at the top of the stairs and his eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of a robbed figure standing atop a nearby house. His brother was still in the area and it gave Sasuke a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He pushed the feeling away as he started down the stairs.

Kakashi took the letter Tsunade was handing him and opened it slowly. His eyes scanned it and when he was done he looked up at the Hokage, his eyes cold and angry. "Who sent this?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I found it on my desk this morning. I thought it might be a prank but then I decided it would be best to bring it to your attention..." Her face was stern as she leaned forward on her desk a little. "Does anything in this letter hold any truth? It would be best if you came clean right now...otherwise you put their lives in danger."

Kakashi crumbled the note in his hand but didn't drop it. "It's true...but I refuse to take action against a letter that might not hold any real threat."

"And what if it does? Can you really take that chance?" Tsunade stood up and put her arms behind her back as she walked to her window. "Kakashi...do as the letter says and confirm its level of honesty. At least then you will be safe. Perhaps it will turn out to be a hoax just as you say." She turned and looked him in the eye. "I'm not going to mention this to anyone...because it is none of my business how you lead your personal life." She looked back out the window. "Let me know what you decide..."

Kakashi turned and left the room. Once he shut the door behind him he opened the letter back up and stared down at it, not really reading it, but just staring at the letters on the page. He had a hard time believing what it said was real, but he didn't want to take that chance, just as Tsunade had said. He had too much to lose if he did that.

Stuffing the note in the same pocket as his book, Kakashi walked out of the manor and stopped just as Sasuke had moments before to stare at the person a few houses away. "If this was your doing I'll kill you..." He whispered before turning and walking down the stairs so that he could start heading towards the destination specified in the note.

The words in the note replayed over and over in his head:

_To the Hokage of Konoha:_

_We have a request. It would be in the best interests of your village to do as we ask. Otherwise certain parties under your command will be faced with consequences we cannot discuss in a letter._

_We wish to meet with Hatake Kakashi on the outskirts of Konoha Village by sundown. We have certain matters that need to be discussed. If he does not show, we will take the life of the one he loves most and is currently in a secret relationship with. Uchiha Sasuke. He is to come alone or else the deal to spare the boy's life becomes nullified._

_Further details regarding the time and place are printed on the back of this letter._

_Thank you for your cooperation._

Kakashi wasn't sure whether to trust this strange letter, but the fact that someone knew about his relationship with Sasuke was unnerving to say the least. They had been very careful about not revealing it and yet at some point, they had been discovered. He wasn't sure what different that made, or what this meeting was about with these mystery people, but he was going to take Tsunade's advice and meet them. He wondered why they had sent the letter to her instead of going directly to him, but he figured he would find out eventually.

The time of the meeting was drawing close so Kakashi headed in the direction that the letter specified. He would do as the letter asked but he would not be mentioning it to Sasuke. The boy had been under enough stress worrying about what Itachi was up to. Kakashi's mind then traveled to the older Uchiha. If he was somehow involved in this Kakashi would make Itachi's life a living hell. Kakashi couldn't picture this being something Itachi would do however. For some reason this tactic had a familiar feel to it, but Kakashi just couldn't place it.

Kakashi sprinted towards the destination. He kept his guard up and searched for any sign of traps along the way. He also kept on the alert for any signs of other ninja's in the area. He wouldn't put some kind of an ambush past the senders of the letter. The sun was getting lower and lower on the horizon and Kakashi was running out of time. Luckily the end was in sight.

He reached the meeting place just as the sun dipped below the trees. For once, he was right on time. He was never late to important things. And this ranked right up there with a high priority mission. He wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on Sasuke. He stood in the spot that he was told to in the letter and waited. He didn't have to wait very long however.

"Hatake Kakashi...we have a score to settle with you..." a familiar voice hissed at him.

Kakashi turned to look in the direction the voice had come and just managed to avoid the kunai that flew by his head by inches. This wasn't going to go over well.

"What do you want?" Kakashi leapt into the air to avoid two more kunai and landed on a low hanging tree branch.

"For you to suffer as much as we have..." More kunai flew at him, this time from all directions. More then he was able to dodge.

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Next chapter out soon! Please review!


	4. Lies and Trickery

Kakashi's cry of pain was muffled beneath his mask as half a dozen kunai dug into his flesh. He fell off the branch and his body headed towards the ground swiftly. As the second string of kunai came at him and started to embed themselves into his body, a puff of smoke revealed that it was only a clone that had taken the shots. A log covered in kunai hit the ground with a loud thump.

Cries of outrange came from the bushes as the attackers realized they had been fooled. A few emerged from their hiding spots to investigate the area around the log. It was then that the concealed Kakashi recognized his attackers. It was from many years ago that he had first come into contact with these ninjas. It was a mission that was supposed to have cleaned out a nearby village of all the troublemakers that resided in it. Kakashi and several others had been assigned the task and it had been successful in eliminating the rotten eggs to try and make the village a more peaceful place.

Prior to arriving at his current hiding spot Kakashi had lifted his forehead protector so that the Sharingan eye might help him see his opponents and give him a slight edge over them, seeing as how he was vastly outnumbered. When the kunai had flown at the log he had been able to pinpoint the locations of most of the members of the rebel group. He was about to count the number of ninjas, and guessed the group to be roughly about ten members large.

When half the group had emerged from their hiding areas, Kakashi made his move. He appeared behind one of the still hidden members, holding a kunai to the man's throat. The man gasped a little in surprise, but didn't move or utter anything louder then that until Kakashi started to stand up, bringing the man with him.

Pushing the man in front of him, Kakashi emerged from the bushes, his eyes glaring at the group before him. "Revenge for being cast out of a village? Don't you have anything better to do with your lives? And why are you focusing your anger only on me? I wasn't the only one to run you out."

"We're honored you remember us Kakashi. One would have thought such an easy task many years ago would have slipped your mind by now." The man that stepped forward was the one that Kakashi remembered being the leader of the rebel group, although his name escaped him at the moment. "But as you can see, we don't forgive you for what you did…it was you who led that mission and so it is you who are to blame for our being cast out."

"I never forget my missions. By remembering faces and missions, it makes it easier to stay alive when they come back to haunt you…as we can see right now." Kakashi looked from face to face in the group while still holding the man in front of him captive with the kunai. "Why did you write the letter and how do you know about my life?"

The leader crossed his arms in front of his chest with a smirk on his face. "We have a little insider information. We figured sending the letter would be the easiest way to get you to come to us. If we were to enter the village of Konoha, we would be caught and probably killed without a second thought. By getting you alone, we had a better chance of success."

"An interesting plan…but not entirely successful. Why bring Sasuke into this at all?" Kakashi was more outraged at the addition of his lover into the mix then anything else. He would have killed all of these men without a second thought had they laid even one hand on the boy.

The leader sat down on a nearby stump, still smirking slightly. "We figured if we brought the Uchiha boy into the mix we would increase our chances of getting you out here. Don't think that this is the only part of our plan. As we speak a group is already on their way to take care of your little partner."

"Liar…you said you wouldn't touch Sasuke if I was here." Kakashi couldn't help the feeling of dread that was quickly rising inside of him. He was almost positive now that Itachi was the informant and that Sasuke was now in great danger.

The man laughed from his place on the stump, "And you believed that? That was a foolish thing to do Hatake Kakashi…never trust an outlaw. They always go after what will hurt you the most…and right now, that is the death of your lover."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and he brought the kunai across his hostage's throat, causing blood to spurt out onto the blade. Kakashi tossed the man aside and turned, running back towards the village as fast as he could. He could hear the leader barking orders to his men behind him and could sense that there were several ninja's on his tail, but his one concern now was getting to Sasuke.

Before he could get very far, four ninjas popped up in front of him, causing him to stop his frantic pace. His voice was a low growl as he spoke, "Get out of my way…I won't hesitate to kill you here and now…"

Without a word the four lunged at Kakashi. He was going to have to fight them before continuing and Kakashi feared that it might just be enough to delay him from getting to Sasuke in time.

--------

Sasuke sat on the stoop of his home, looking up at the sky as the clouds traveled across it slowly. He sighed a little as he moved his focus to the street, watching for any sign of Kakashi to come strolling down it. He didn't mean to be so clingy or desperate to see the older ninja…but after the day he had just had, all he wanted was to curl up next to him. Kakashi had been the one person in his life since the death of his family to actually be compassionate to him. What had started as a teacher-student relationship evolved slowly into the intimate one they now had. It was the one thing that Sasuke had always felt was missing in his life…someone to love him no matter what happened.

Sasuke was getting lost in his thoughts of Kakashi, but something made him stop. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head towards the alleyway between his house and the next one. "Who's there?" He asked as he stood up slowly. He sensed the presence of at least one ninja…but it was the familiar ones of his teammates or even of the other ninja's of Konoha.

Before Sasuke could move or even perform a jutsu, he felt a wire tighten around his body and suddenly he was unable to move. His arms became bound to his sides and he couldn't bring his hands together to perform the seals he needed to in order to escape. He struggled against the wire, but it only made it tighter.

Suddenly Sasuke was knocked off his feet and he hit the ground hard with a thud. His head hit and for a moment things went black. He could hear some commotion around him and when he was finally able to force his eyes to focus once again he saw a familiar figure above him.

"I..ta..chi…" Sasuke snarled to himself as he struggled to sit up and see what was going on. He could hear what sounded like a fight. He managed to lift his head up and what he saw made his eyes go large.

------

Kakashi limped his way to the village. HIs left leg was bleeding badly and his right shoulder ached from where he had been slammed into a tree by the force ofone of the ninja's jutsus.He had managed to get away from the four ninjas that had been sent to stop him, but not without getting himself injured in the process. They were a lot more skilled now then they were when he had first come in contact with them. It had taken the power of the sharingan and his ability to copy their techinigues to get him out of the dire situation in which he had been placed. With the four of them attacking at once it had made it very difficult for Kakashi to be victorous. Unfortunetly he had killed two of them in the process and that was not something he was proud of.

He forced these thoughts from his mind as he made it into the village and started towards the part of town that Sasuke resided. There was only one thing on his mind now as he fought to pick up his pace even the slightest bit. He had to get to Sasuke before they did anything to him. He rounded the final corner to Sasuke's street and stumbled his way closer to the house. As he came into view of Sasuke's building he saw the familiar body of his lover laying on the ground, his body seemed to be bound by some sort of string or wire.

What Kakashi noticed next was even more of a shock to him. Itachi was easily fighting off the four ninja's that had come to ambush the younger Uchiha. Suddenly Kakashi wasn't so sure about his original thoughts that Itachi was the informant.

The fight seemed to come to a halt as two ninja's now laid motionless on the ground, another was crawling away to safety and the fourth was now being held up by his neck by Itachi. Itachi had knocked the first two away easily without even the use of a jutsu. His strength alone seemed to be enough to send them into a dreamless sleep. When Kakashi got close enough he was able to make out what Itachi was saying to the fourth of the ninjas.

"No one is allowed to harm my younger brother as you have tried to do…Now I will force you to live the rest of your life in your greatest nightmare…" Iachi's eyes suddenly seemed to change and as the man looked into them, his body also became as motionless as the ones on the ground.

Kakashi's body trembled a little as he witnessed, not for the first time, the power of the mangekyou sharingan. Kakashi hurried the last few paces to Sasuke's home. "There is no need for that Itachi…stop now before anyone else realizes what is going on. Using that jutsu here will only get you into trouble with the council." Kakashi knew he should have just not said anything and reported the oldest Uchiha. But seeing that he was helping Sasuke, Kakashi didn't feel that turning in Itachi for breaking one of the restrictions was the right choice to make.

Itachi turned his eyes away from the man he held in order to face Kakashi. The mangekyou faded from his eyes and they returned to normal. Itachi tossed the man aside, letting the body fall onto his two comrades. "You'd like to see me executed wouldn't you Hatake Kakashi-san?"

"More then anything…" Kakashi could barely hold back the hate that he held for the man before him. But he would not go against the council's wishes. He too was forbidden to lay a hand on Itachi unless he did something to warrant retaliation. "But seeing as how you are helping your brother for once…I'll ignore what I want."

"Hmph…" Itachi knelt by his brother and released him from his bindings. Sasuke sat up slowly, rubbing his arms a little where the wire had cut into them. He stared up at Itachi for several seconds, not quite believing that he was the one that had come to his aid.

"What are you doing here Itachi?" Sasuke asked very quietly. Not sure he could really believe what he had just seen.

Itachi stood back up and started to walk away, "Breaking every restriction that was placed on me it seems…" he said without turning around to face the two ninjas that were left standing. Sasuke made no move to go after him or to question him further. He wouldn't get a straight answer out of his brother anyway. He had never been able to.

For the first time Sasuke turned his attention to Kakashi, noticing immediately that he was injured. "Kakashi, what happened!?!" He hurried over to his older lover's side and started to investigate the injuries. There was nothing life threatening, just a few bruises and strains for the most part.

"I was sent on a mission. It didn't go quite as planned. That's all." He placed his hand on top of Sasuke's head and looked down into the black eyes. "Are you alright? Did they say or do anything to you?" Sasuke shook his head and looked over at the pile of men on his front stoop.

"No…did they have anything to do with your mission?" Sasuke asked quietly as he stared at the unconscious ninjas. He knew the top one would probably not regain consciousness after experiencing the effects of the Mangekyou Sharingan. It was not an experience you readily recovered from. "Why were they after me?"

Kakashi just shook his head and started to lead Sasuke towards the house. "We should get them into custody and let them be dealt with accordingly." He looked at Sasuke again, "Itachi broke the restrictions…all of them just to save you…I didn't trust him at first, but maybe what he said was true and he isn't here to harm anyone."

"And maybe he's just setting this whole village up. Maybe fighting these guys was just a way to try and earn my trust. I still don't like it…" Sasuke shook his head and looked up at the sky. "I still don't trust him…"

Kakashi nodded and started to tie the men up. Their mission was a failure…but that didn't mean they wouldn't try again. He glanced at Sasuke from the corner of his eye briefly. If that group was still out there then they would come for him again. He didn't want to put Sasuke's life into danger like that again.

Thoughts and uncertainly plagued Kakashi's head throughout the time that Sasuke and him were escorting the three ninjas to the police. The one thought that kept coming to him was the one he didn't want to acknowledge. But it might be the only way to keep the young Uchiha safe…even if it meant hurting him.


	5. Heartbreak

Kakashi was quiet as he led Sasuke up to his apartment. Sasuke, not being one to talk a lot normally didn't press the issue. He was worried but he thought it might have something to do with the mission that had just gone awry. Kakashi opened the door and held it as Sasuke passed by him and into the small bedroom. He immediately went to the bed and sat down on it, looking up at Kakashi as the older man went to his dresser and started to remove his vest. Sasuke shifted a little as he stared at the broad back of his lover, who had yet to utter a word since leaving Sasuke's house with the captives.

Finally Sasuke couldn't take it any longer. "What's wrong Kakashi?" he asked quietly. The question was only matched with more silence however as Kakashi continued to remove article after article of weaponry and clothing until he was down to just a basic shirt and pants as well as the forehead protector and mask. Sasuke bit his lower lip nervously. He knew something was wrong simply from the fact that his face was still covered. Those two things were always the first to come off whenever Kakashi was alone with Sasuke. Maybe he had gotten hurt worse then he had said in the fight. Sasuke could see the wounds from many kunai on his back.

Just as Sasuke was about to ask again, Kakashi turned to face him. The look on his face made Sasuke hold his breath in dreaded anticipation. Something wasn't right and it was written all over the handsome face of the older ninja.

Kakashi walked past Sasuke to the window and looked down at the street below him, finally speaking, "Sasuke…I've been thinking about a lot since earlier today…" Kakashi went silent again and looked over his shoulder at the boy that sat so innocently on the bed, looking at him with worry etched across his young features. Kakashi hesitated, not quite sure he was fully able to do what he was about to. He turned his face away to look out the window again. "I don't think we should be together like this anymore…" the words were barely above a whisper but Sasuke heard them clearly.

Sasuke leapt up from the bed and went to Kakashi's side, disbelief and horror at the words that were just uttered spreading through him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kakashi refused to look at Sasuke as he kept his gaze downward, "I just don't think we should do this. We've had our fun, now its over. These things happen you know?" Kakashi felt like a bastard just for saying these things. He was lying through his teeth and he just prayed Sasuke couldn't tell. He just couldn't bare the thought of those ninjas coming after the boy again.

Sasuke's body trembled as he reached out and latched onto Kakashi's arm, "Don't say that…that's not like you…don't joke like this…I don't like it…"

Kakashi turned and walked over to his mirror, staring into the cold eyes. He looked so calm but inside his entire body was curling up into one big ball of disgust at his actions. He cast a look back at Sasuke briefly and it was enough to shatter the last remaining pieces of his heart as he saw the look on the boy's face. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, trying to summon up as much strength as he could to finish the task he had put before himself. "It's not a joke. I don't like you anymore so just get out of here."

"Lies! All lies!" Sasuke came up behind him and grabbed the back of Kakashi's shirt, pulling on it a little, trying to make him turn around, "its not true…"

"I'm sorry Sasuke…" that was all Kakashi could get out. His throat was starting to close up, he held back the tears that threatened to fall. He hadn't felt this emotionally terrible since what happened with Obito…

"I don't believe it…I refuse to! Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me! Only then might I accept it as the truth," Sasuke stared stubbornly up at Kakashi, tears pouring from his eyes. Tears he had held back as long as he could.

Kakashi kept his eyes turned away for several seconds, then finally brought his one eye to meet the black orbs of his former lover. "I don't love you…"

Sasuke felt his heart shatter at that moment. "I…don't understand. I don't believe you!" Sasuke turned and fled from the scene. He just couldn't stay and listen to what he believed to be lies anymore. He didn't want to head home, but he didn't know where he was going, he just had to run.

Kakashi flinched as the door slammed shut behind the fleeing figure. He sat down heavily on the edge of his bed, placing his face in his hands, still forcing the tears to stay away. It hurt like hell to do what he had just done, but it was the only way he could think of to keep Sasuke safe.

"I'm so sorry…Sasuke…I just can't love you anymore…" Kakashi whispered to himself as he laid down on the bed and curled up into a little ball.

--

Sasuke ran as hard and as fast as he could until his lungs threatened to erupt from lack of adequate oxygen. He had practically done laps around Konoha just in an attempt to exhaust the anger and hurt that was cursing through him. When he finally came to a stop he looked around and found that he had come to a little lake that was towards the outskirts of town. He didn't come here very often but he did remember one time when him and Kakashi had come at sunset to watch the sun reflecting on the water as it went behind the trees. Fresh tears came to his eyes as he thought back to that time and the other times he had spent with Kakashi.

Walking up to the water's edge he kneeled and placed a hand into the cool water, looking down into his reflection. He looked terrible, his eyes red and swollen from crying. He sat down and brought his knees up to his chest, hugging them close. He felt young and stupid for ever thinking that Kakashi might want more from him then just a piece of ass to toy with until he got tired of him.

The memory of that evening at the lake came back to him as he sat there, staring into the darkness of the water.

Kakashi had his arms wrapped around Sasuke as they both sat near the bank of the lake. Sasuke was sitting between his legs and leaning back against kakashi's stomach as they both stared out over the water. The sun was casting an orange glow onto the water as it slowly set behind the trees and the distant wall that surrounded Konoha. Trees and bushes shielded the two lovers from view from the path that had led them down to his part of the lake. Kakashi nuzzled Sasukes neck tenderly and his breath was warm against the bare flesh.

"What if someone comes here?" Sasuke had whispered a little nervously. So far they had been successful in their attempts to be discrete and hide their relationship. This was the first time they had even attempting to be close like this outside of one of their homes. It was almost too much of a chance but Kakashi merely shrugged and hugged Sasuke a little tighter.

"Then I guess we'll have some explaining to do. I wouldn't worry though…no one ever really comes out here. We'll just have to be quiet in all that we do…" Kakashi voice suddenly got a little rougher and he bit the side of Sasuke's neck playfully, pressing his body against Sasuke's even more.

Sasuke trembled a little as his body started to react to Kakashi's teasing. "Kakashi…" Sasuke whimpered a little, "Not here…"

Kakashi smirked and his hands started to travel down Sasuke's stomach slowly, "Not here? Why not? What's wrong with it?" His right hand reached Sasuke's waistline and he slid it down into the white shorts of lover. His breath tickled Sasuke's ear as he whispered into it, "Actually…it looks like you aren't against it as much as you say you are…"

Sasuke blushed a bright shade of red and his gasped a little as Kakashi's hand started to explore. "Its too public…someone will see…"

"Don't be silly…" Kakashi brought his mouth once again to Sasuke's neck and he started to suckle on the soft flesh.

Just as Sasuke was starting to forget all his arguments he thought he heard a rustle in the bushes a few feet away and as his eyes started to shut a glimpse of something red and black seemed to flutter past. But at this point Sasuke didn't care.

--

As Sasuke sat at that same lake, the tears wouldn't stop running down his face and falling onto his knees as he sat curled up, looking out at the water. In such a short time he had lost the only one who cared about him. Perhaps he really wasn't meant to ever love anyone or anything. It was his destiny to always be filled with nothing but feelings of revenge and hatred. The lake reflected the moonlight, enlarging the moon before Sasuke. He stared at it, the tears leaving wet trails down his cheeks. His entire body hurt from running, but his heart ached more then all of those pains combined.

"Ninjas don't show such things as tears," a deep familiar voice said from behind him.

Sasuke turned towards the familiar voice, hatred for this person now mixing itself with the sadness that was radiating from his eyes. "leave me alone Itachi."

"What has now brought tears to the eyes of my foolish little brother? I thought I was the only one allowed to do such a thing," Itachi approached softly, stopping only when he stood just behind Sasuke, his knees almost touching the boys back.

Sasuke looked back at the water, wrapping his arms around his legs tightly again, "what do you care…you love seeing me in pain don't you?"

"Only if I am the cause of it," Itachi put his hand on his brother's head, "Care to tell me what happened?"

This rare sign of affection comeing from Itachi only caused Sasuke to tear up once again. He spun around where he sat and latched onto Itachi's cloak, buring his face into it, unable to bear the pain any longer. He needed someone to tell, someone to cry on, even if that one person was the one he hated more then any other one in this world. For the first time since he could remember Sasuke needed his brother. "Kakashi…he said he no longer wanted me…" His voice was a whisper but Itachi heard it perfectly.

Itachi knelt to the ground and Sasuke released his death grip on the black coat. Itachi then sat down completely and reached out, bringing Sasuke into his lap, wrapping his arms around the small frame of his younger brother. Itachi drew him close, cradling him as if he were only eight years old again. "You care enough about him to cry?"

"I loved him…" whimpered Sasuke. New emotions were now raging through him as his brother showed more compassion to him then he remembers seeing in all the years they had lived together. It was confusing for him and yet, it felt strangely right. Sasuke buried his face into his brother's shoulder, trying to hide the tears that refused to stop falling. He hated himself for appearing so weak before Itachi, but he couldn't help it. He felt broken inside and this sudden compassion was what Sasuke felt he needed most right now.

Itachi scoffed a little, "Love is a false emotion. One you wasted upon Kakashi."

Sasuke shook his head against his brother's shoulder. "I don't believe that…I thought…I was sure he loved me too…I just don't understand what I did wrong…" He hands gripped the black coat tightly as he laid his ear against his brother's chest, listening to the heart that was beating deep inside of him.

"It is probably not what you did, but rather that Kakashi showed you how fickle emotions can be." Itachi's emotionless eyes gazed out over the water.

"He was the one person who showed me any kind of love since…since you stole everyone away from me…"

"Hmph…I thought that might show you how useless it is to grow attached to anyone. They'll only leave you alone again."

Sasuke's body shuddered at the thought of being alone forever. He desperately needed someone in his life. He had longed for any form of loving attention since the death of his parents, and Kakashi had delivered more then he could ever have imagined. "Am I destined to be alone forever? Is this the future you have given me?"

"Perhaps it is the name of Uchiha that curses us to bare more pain then any other…"

"That pain which you caused…Why are you doing this now Itachi? Why can't you just leave me alone too…if that is my destiny…" Sasuke lifted his head up and looked up into the pretty eyes of his brother.

Itachi brought his right hand up and poked Sasuke in the forehead with his index and middle fingers. They landed square in the middle of the leaf on his forehead protector. "Foolish little brother…Perhaps I have chosen a new destiny for you…" Itachi dropped his hand back to its place around Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he brought his hand up to his forehead and touched where Itachi had poked. He hadn't done that in years and it brought up memories and feelings that he had bottled up inside of him since the massacre that had happened so many years ago. "Brother…"

Itachi stood up, lifting Sasuke with him, carrying him easily as if he was that small boy of eight that used to ride on Itachi's shoulders. "Let's go home…" Sasuke merely nodded as Itachi headed towards his home on the edge of town, not Sasuke's. This would be a direct violation of the restrictions that were placed on Itachi, but Sasuke wasn't going to say anything if Itachi didn't. This might be the only real chance Sasuke would get to see exactly what his brother was planning.

Sasuke closed his eyes and relaxed a little in the arms of his brother as they slowly made their way to the home that Itachi had been given by the elders.

--

(I may be added the scene at the lake on a website if anyone wants it. I'm not going to put it here since I don't want to remove my story for content. Thanks for reading!)


	6. Help not Wanted

Note from AU: Sorry it took to long to get this chapter out to you all. I've been busy with work and getting ready for a convention and all that stuff. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I"ll try to get the next one out much faster then this one was.

Itachi laid Sasuke down on the couch of his living room. Sasuke had been dozing lightly on his brother's shoulder during the walk to the cottage, but as soon as he was released he woke up. He sat up a little and looked around the small home that was now Itachi's, courtesy of the elders.

"I shouldn't be here…" Sasuke whispered more to himself then to Itachi.

Itachi's face was very close to his brother's because he had yet to stand up from letting go of Sasuke and he looked into the black eyes, his own still holding the uncaring expression they always did. "You can leave if you want. I'm not tying you to the bed." Sasuke could feel Itachi's breath on his cheek as he spoke.

Sasuke hesitated briefly before shaking his head, "I don't want to be alone."

"I thought so." Itachi stood up and walked towards his kitchen to see about something for Sasuke to eat. Before he reached the doorway however, Sasuke started to speak to him.

"I don't understand it…Just this morning he told me he loved me…what changed? What did I do that was so horrible to bring this about? Everything seemed so normal before he went to see the Hoka…." Sasuke stopped and his eyes widened to twice their normal size.

Itachi stopped and looked over his shoulder at his brother. "You think Tsunade told him to stop…don't be stupid." Itachi turned away again and continued into the next room. Sasuke stared after him, realizing that it probably was a stupid idea after all.

"Then what happened…" His whimpered, looking down at the wooden floor of the surprisingly warm cottage. Sasuke looked around the room, taking in the scene around him. The walls were bare and the furniture was sparse but not so much that company would be sitting on the floor. There was a couch and table and a chair. There were three small rooms branching off of the main room that he currently sat in. It was a small and cozy home, which was surprisingly for the cold-blooded murderer that resided in it.

Itachi returned with a tray that had tea and some snacks. He sat the tray down on the table and Sasuke immediately noticed there was only one cup. Itachi turned and walked into one of the adjoining rooms, which Sasuke could only figure was the bedroom.

Sasuke crawled off the couch and knelt on the ground in front of the table to drink his tea. He lifted the small cup to his lips and blew on the warm liquid a little before bringing it the rest of the way to his mouth and sipping it carefully. The drink felt good going down his dry throat. His brother didn't emerge from the dark bedroom even after Sasuke had finished the tea and the cookies.

Sasuke walked over and sat on the sill of Itachi's window, looking out into the woods around the secluded home. He had never set foot inside the cottage before. He had never wanted to be in his brother's territory. But now..he needed that close companionship. Sasuke needed someone he could trust and who he cared for to latch on to. And deep down he did still love and admire his older brother. He still wanted to kill him…but beneath that was the love any man had for his brother.

Itachi finally exited the bedroom and walked past Sasuke as he headed to the door of the cottage. As his hand touched the door handle, Sasuke called out to him. "Where are you going? Don't leave me alone…please…" His voice was small and as he looked at him, Itachi saw the little boy that he had left behind.

"I have something I must do…I won't be long." With that said Itachi walked out of the cottage and headed towards Konoha. Sasuke watched the back of his brother as he disappeared among the trees, curious as to what his brother could possibly have to do in town and hoping that he kept his word for once and returned soon.

Itachi stood in the doorway of the bar, his face displaying nearly nothing as he stared at the man a few feet away from him. There was a slight glint of anger in the black eyes that sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine as he looked over at him. Even he had that slight twinge of fear deep inside of him of the man that had heartlessly slaughtered his entire clan. It would be crazy for him not to be afraid.

"What do you want?" Kakashi growled, setting down his drink and turning a little in his seat. His mask was over his face, showing that he hadn't actually been drinking anything, he had merely needed something in his hand to occupy himself with. He assumed that Itachi was there to see him and if he was a betting man, he would have put down money on it. It would be stupid to think he wasn't there because of what had happened earlier with Sasuke.

"No one is allowed to hurt my brother," Itachi said with a monotone voice. Itachi took a few steps closer and as he did so the other people at the bar started to sit up a little straighter and turn a little to glare at the black and red caped menace that was amongst them. Everyone in the village knew of the restrictions on Itachi, and any one of them would jump at the chance to send Itachi straight to the elders for execution.

Kakashi turned back to look into his drink, spinning the glass a little in his hand, watching the liquid inside of it move. "Except for you, you mean? Seems you have hurt him plenty over the years. Besides, I don't know what you are talking about."

Itachi stopped when he stood just behind Kakashi. His eyes boring holes into the copy ninja's back. "That is my own business. It is a brother's job to test and torment his younger siblings. That is the past and I am addressing the present now. Answer this question for me, Kakashi…why?"

Kakashi refused to turn around. "That is my business and I would prefer you didn't argue with me about it here." His own eyes were now putting holes into the bar next to his cup. He didn't like how Itachi was addressing this in such a public place. This was a secret he didn't want the entire village to know. He was sure the idea of him being involved physically with one of his much younger students would not sit will with many of the people he dealt with every day.

"If you don't share then I will bring to you the same pain you have brought to Sasuke." Itachi slowly started to unbutton his coat.

Kakashi turned around slowly in his seat and glared up at the man behind him. He wasn't sure what Itachi was planning, and frankly he didn't care. He felt so bad about what he had done earlier that anything Itachi did would almost be a blessing. Death might even be the only answer to the internal suffering and guilt that Kakashi was currently feeling. "Bring it on then, because I'm not saying any more."

"Stubbornness is not an admirable quality," without saying anymore, Itachi activated his Sharingan and as soon as his eyes met with Kakashi's, Kakashi's head started to ache and the world around him shifted. This was actually the last thing Kakashi had expected Itachi to do, especially after all the elders had said to him. Because he had not expected it, he fell into the trap of the Mangekyou Sharingan quite easily. Kakashi braced himself for whatever nightmare Itachi set on him.

Kakashi now stood before a lake, the moon shining off of the water. Beside it sat the familiar back of his former lover. The scene started to play out, just as it had the night before, only this time Kakashi saw what happened. Itachi stood next to him, quiet and not appearing to be threatening at all, but Kakashi knew that he was controlling the scene that was about to play out before him.

Sasuke had his back to Kakashi, but from the trembling of his shoulders Kakashi knew that he was crying. This alone was enough to break what was left of his remaining feelings that he had done the right thing. He had never seen Sasuke cry before and he had hoped he never would.

"Ninja's don't show such things as tears," Itachi voice said from Kakashi's other side and he saw another Itachi walk out of the trees and towards the younger Uchiha. Kakashi watched as Sasuke refused his brother's attention at first but slowly the conversation between them changed.

When Sasuke latched onto Itachi's cloak and started to break down even more, Kakashi fell to his knees, the guilt of his actions flooding his body. He hated seeing Sasuke like this, it was even more painful then the actual breaking up that had occurred. "Sasuke…." Kakashi whispered as he reached out one hand, as if touching the boy in his nightmare and trying to take back what he had said at this point might make things better.

"You care enough about him to cry?" Itachi's double said softly and Kakashi held his breath as he waited for the response.

"I love him…" was the whimpered response and this brought tears to Kakashi's own eyes as he turned his face away to look out over the water of the lake.

"Sasuke…." Was all Kakashi could say as he continued to listen to the conversation next to him. "what have I done?...I was a fool…"

"He can't hear you. You are too late for such words," The real Itachi said as he watched Kakashi.

"I just don't understand what I did wrong…" Sasuke voice came to Kakashi's ears once again.

Kakashi turned back to the pair, "Nothing…you did nothing wrong…I had to do it…at least I thought I did…I wanted to protect you…"

"Its foolish to try and make things right now." Itachi reached down and grabbed Kakashi by the neck, lifting him to his feet. "This will be the last scene you ever see. It will replay over and over in your mind until you can no longer stand it. I will force you to experience the same heartbreak…to see what you have done to him," Itachi's voice was cold as he momentary blocked the scene to come face to face with Kakashi. He knew that Kakashi still loved his brother, and knew that this scene would cause him the most heartbreak and mental pain. "Regret the pain you caused my brother for the rest of your short life, Hatake Kakashi." Just as Itachi finished saying this the scene started all over. Sasuke was once again crying beside the lake. Kakashi's body trembled as he watched it all begin again.

"You bastard…" Kakashi muttered.

"I do believe you are the bastard now. If you hadn't of hurt my brother like this, you would never have had to feel the same pain." Itachi left go of Kakashi and Kakashi found himself bound to a tree, unable to move. His head was tied in place so that he couldn't look away from the depressing scene before him. The real Itachi left the nightmare just as the scene started to replay a third time.

Sasuke awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly from where he had fallen asleep on the couch as he had waited for Itachi to return. Something was happening and although he didn't know what it was, he had to stop it. He rushed from the bed, stopping only to put on shoes before running from the house, listening only to what his heart was telling him. Moving in the direction he felt he should go. "Kakashi….Itachi what are you doing…."

He should have realized it sooner. As soon as his brother had said he was going out Sasuke should have followed him. He knew what his brother was capable of and he feared the worst as he ran into the main part of town. He stopped briefly and looked around for any sign of his brother or Kakashi. Not seeing either he headed further into town, stopping occasionally to ask random people if they had seen either man. He got curious glances from some people as he didn't have a shirt on. He had removed it when he had settled in for a nap on the couch and hadn't thought to pick it up when he had left Itachi's home.

"Please Itachi…not again…please…" Sasuke's heart was in his throat as he continued his hunting. As he saw the crowd gathering in front of the bar that many of the ninja's often went to, he knew he had found the place.

Sasuke pushed his way inside and what he feared most was then right in front of him. His brother had Kakashi by the throat and Kakashi's eyes were glazed over. His brother had used the mangekyou sharingan, just what Sasuke had hoped he would refrain from using.

"ITACHI! Don't do it!" Sasuke's voice came from behind him and Itachi broke his gaze into Kakashi's eyes to look over his shoulder at the trembling figure of his half dressed brother. Just as he looked away, Kakashi collapsed forward, deep in a state of unconsciousness. Sasuke rushed forward to catch him, only getting there with enough time to stop his head from hitting the hard wooden floor. "KAKASHI! Wake up Kakashi!" Sasuke cradled Kakashi's head in his lap as he gently shook his former lover. "Damnit Itachi! Why did you do this? He didn't deserve this…"

Sasuke looked up at his brother and he thought he saw a slight smirk come briefly to his lips. Itachi buttoned up his coat and knelt down, picking Kakashi up gently. As his head was level with his brothers, he whispered into Sasuke's ear, "forget the lover you once knew. As I showed him your pain he did nothing but laugh." Itachi stood up with Kakashi in his arms, watching the shocked and pained expression on Sasuke's face.

Itachi turned and carried Kakashi out of the building and towards the hospital. He knew that as soon as word got out that he had used the magekyou, the elders and Tsunade would be calling on him. He also knew that Tsunade had the ability to heal Kakashi, in fact he was almost counting on it.

Sasuke still sat on the floor of the bar in a stunned silence. His tears had tried and instead his body was trembling a little from the anger that had now built up inside of him. He stood up slowly and walked out of the bar. He saw Itachi headed in the direction of the hospital and he turned and headed in the direction of Itachi's home to wait for his brother to return.


	7. Betrayal

Itachi stood before the elders of Konoha, his eyes holding a very defiant look in them. Almost as soon as Itachi had handed Kakashi over to the hospital workers, a messenger had come to take him before the council. He now waited for what they had to say, not that he really cared what they had to say. The only thing that interested him in the whole proceeding was the fact that Tsunade was not present, nor was her counterpart Shizune.

"Uchiha Itachi…it seems you didn't understand the restrictions that were placed upon you when you had reentered the country of Konoha," the oldest of the council said.

"I understood the restrictions perfectly, I just chose to break them." Itachi said defiantly.

"Perhaps you don't understand the consequences of your actions then."

Itachi gave a rare smirk, "I understand those as well."

It was obvious that the elder was growing irritated with the whole conversation very quickly, "Then why did you do it?"

"I did it so that Kakashi understood the consequences of the actions that HE decided to take in dealing with Uchiha Sasuke," Itachi said, offering no further explanation.

"I don't understand what your brother has to do with any of this. Please explain the situation so that we might know whether your actions are founded or if disciplinary measures need to be accessed."

"All I will say to the matter is; I will not tolerate anyone who brings tears to my little brother's eyes. So do what you must, but I will not explain myself any further." With that said Itachi turned and headed towards the door, not feeling any need to linger before the council when it would make no difference what he said. The outcome would be the same.

"Uchiha Itachi, this meeting is not yet over," the female elder said roughly.

Itachi turned to look over his shoulder at them, "On the contrary, I'm quite finished." Without another word he left the room, leaving the elders in an angry and stunned silence. Itachi left the council area, curious as to why Tsunade had not been present. He wondered if she had already gone to care for the fallen Kakashi. He considered heading back to the hospital to find out but then decided he should return home to mend the broken heart of his younger brother.

Sasuke had crawled into his brother's bed and hidden beneath the covers. When he had first gotten back to the cottage he had contemplated what exactly he should do. He wasn't nearly as angry as he was depressed at what his brother had said to him. He also wasn't 100 percent sure that it was the truth. With Itachi you could never really tell. Sasuke had started to tremble with the effort it took to hold in his tears every time he thought about it. It hurt so much to see Kakashi laying helplessly in his arms, and yet what hurt more was the thought that he might have actually laughed at Sasuke for crying over him.

He hadn't actually meant to wander into Itachi's bedroom, but the fact that he felt so tired from all the emotional ups and downs he had gone through today had pushed him into crawling into someplace warm and comfortable. He had tried to sleep but seemed to fail at it miserably so instead he just covered his head with the covers and breathed in the scent of his brother. It was a strangely comforting thing to be wrapped up in this place.

Sasuke gave a start when the bed suddenly moved beside him as someone sat down. He almost flew out from beneath the covers in surprise. He pulled the blanket from his head and immediately stopped his flight when he saw it was his brother. Itachi had an amused expression on his face, one that Sasuke hadn't seen since he was a small child and his brother had actually shown care for him.

"What are you doing in my bed?" Itachi asked softly. He was amused at the sight of his brother's tousled hair and crumbled appearance. He apparently had been in bed almost the entire time Itachi had been with the elders. He thought his brother looked positively adorable and hadn't chanced a bit since Itachi had left the village.

"I…I.." Sasuke blushed a bit as he realized he didn't really have a good answer to this. "I was tired…and didn't want to sleep on the couch…it was comfortable here."

Itachi laughed a little and raised his finger to poke Sasuke right in the middle of his forehead, just as he had done when they were younger. "Silly little brother…"

Sasuke pouted a bit and rubbed his forehead. His protector had long been forgotten in the events of the day and even his clothes had been left in a pile in the living room. He smiled a little as he stopped rubbing his head, but left his hand there as he looked down at the blanket. "You haven't done that in a long time…"

"I've been gone a long time." Itachi reached out and caressed Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke leaned into the feeling of his brother's hand and closed his eyes. His eyes weren't closed long however when he felt the pressure of someone's lips against his own. They flew open and he looked into the dark eyes of his brother, who had leaned down and was killing him full on the lips. Sasuke gasped and backed his face away a little.

"What are you doing?" He asked confused. His head was a whirl of activity as he fought to figure out if it was right to be kissing his own brother like that.

Without answering Itachi gripped Sasuke's chin and brought his face closer again. This time Itachi's kiss was a little more forceful as his free arm wrapped around the slender waist of his younger brother. Sasuke's mind went blank and all he knew was how good this felt. Without thinking he leaned into his brothers kiss. Taking this as a cue, Itachi leaned forward, gently pushing Sasuke back onto the bed, moving his body so that he was straddling him. When they broke for air, Sasuke looked up at his brother a little breathlessly. Something inside him told him this just wasn't right, but there was another part of him that longed for this kind of attention, no matter who it came from. As Itachi's mouth continued to explore Sasuke's body he didn't fight him. He closed his eyes and let all thoughts leave his mind.

When Sasuke awoke he noticed that the sun was raising and he could see it trying to peek through the dark curtains of the one window in Itachi's bedroom. He sat up a little groggily and rubbed his eyes for a moment before dropping his hand and looking around. He was the only one in there, much to his dismay. His clothes were laying on the floor in a pile and so he got up and pulled on his shorts and shirt, not caring that they were rumpled and dirty. It was the only pair of clothes he had here. He sat back down on the bed and thought back to the activity of the night before, a blush coming to his cheeks as he remembered the details and the more he thought about it the more his body started to react. He quickly shook his head to keep himself from getting too worked up.

Sasuke wondered where his brother had gone off to and decided to go to the living room to see if he had left a note. As he exited the bedroom he thought he heard voices coming from outside. Some of the voices seemed familiar and he immediately recognized one as his brother's. The conversation sounded heated so he crouched down and inched his way closer so that he might be able to hear what was being said. Sasuke knelt by the window and just listened quietly to the conversation outside.

"You weren't supposed to hurt any of our guys. That was part of the deal." Sasuke didn't recognize the voice so he lifted his head a little to peek outside at the intruders. They were not familiar to him at all, but they seemed to know his brother.

"The deal was broken when you targeted my brother." Itachi said coolly. He was outside in just a pair of pants and his hair was loose and laying long down his back. Itachi had his back to the house but Sasuke knew from the tone of voice his brother had that he was not pleased with being visited by these people. Sasuke ducked back down below the window sil, but kept listening to the conversation.

"We had to use him to get to Kakashi! We agreed to use any means necessary to hurt Kakashi, and to do so we targeted the one thing he cared about most." Sasuke grit his teeth as the conversation started to sink in a little. He had been used to get to Kakashi…Kakashi told him to leave so that he would be protected from these people. That was why Kakashi was hurt that day…Sasuke closed his eyes and laid his head against the wall as the pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place.

"That was unnecessary. Only I am allowed to control Sasuke's life and possible death in such a way. You broke the deal first." This comment from Itachi almost made Sasuke snarl with disgust. The feelings of hatred and betrayal he had always felt when he thought of his brother now returned. Itachi hadn't changed at all.

"We never planned to kill your dumb brother unless he got in our way. We just wanted to scare Kakashi. You had no reason to go as far as you did." Sasuke couldn't remember much of the fight. He had been so overwhelmed with the events that followed it that the details had just seemed to blur all together. He had thought Itachi had just been near enough to help him, now he figured it was all a part of their plan to get to Kakashi.

"Their deaths were inevitable. Kakashi is now out of your way. Your mission is complete and our alliance is over." Sasuke couldn't see what was going on, but he heard some movement and knew that Itachi was headed back towards the door of the house. He apparently felt the conversation was over.

"You're a bastard Itachi! Since Kakashi is taken care of we are going to avenge those that you killed!" More movement was heard and Sasuke knew that the men outside were doomed if they tried to do anything to Itachi. Sasuke started to move away from the window slowly, not wanting to attract any attention, but needing to get away before Itachi got back inside and knew that he had heard everything.

"I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you." Itachi's voice had a threatening tone to it and Sasuke knew that the men's lives were in danger, but because of what they had done to Kakashi, he felt no remorse for what was about to happen to them.

"Don't tell us what to do! Prepare yourself." This was the last thing he heard as Sasuke scurried away from the window, not bothering to wipe the tears from his face. He knew that Kakashi hadn't meant it when he broke up with him. He had been stupid enough to believe it though and then even stupider to run to his brother for support. He wouldn't even think about what he had just done. Sasuke crawled until he got back to the bedroom and then he got to his feet and went to the window. He climbed out the window and as soon as his feet hit the ground he took off running towards the town. He never slowed, even when he heard the screams of the men Itachi was brutally murdering.

I will be posting the lake scene and probably the Itachi scene soon for those that are interested in reading them. I'll let you know with the next chapter just how to get to them. Thanks for reading!


	8. Breakdown

Hello readers! Okay, you asked for it and now you are getting it! The "deleted scenes" of Don't leave me Alone! I have created a fanfic journal that I will use to post all chapters of all my stories. And that is where you will find the lake scene and the Itachi scene, as well as any extra stuff I may post about the story.

The journal is located at and my username is Uchihafics

There is a link to it in my profile as well. Make sure you read the rules of my journal on my LJ profile page. The yaoi scenes will be friend locked. Thats all for now, hope to see you there!

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Sasuke stopped at the door of Kakashi's hospital room and listened to the angry voices of his teammates inside. He stood there, looking at their backs silently; not really wanting to be noticed since he was sure that he looked terrible. His hair had not been brushed and his clothes were the same he had been wearing when he fell off the roof when he was attacked. He had hoped Kakashi would be alone when he got there, but that was apparently more then he should have hoped for. 

"What do you mean Tsunade-basan isn't here!" Naruto's voice demanded. He stood ready to pounce on her if she said the wrong thing.

The nurse looked like she was ready to strangle the young ninja but she tried her best to keep her cool composure. "The Hokage had to go to the Village of the Hidden Sand on business. That is all we know. We have sent a messenger to contact her and alert her of the situation…but she probably won't be back any time soon."

"But Kakashi-sensei needs her! She is the Hokage! She's not supposed to just leave the village like this!" Naruto was growing more and more irritated by the whole situation, but the nurse was even more so.

"Well you tell her that when she gets back! It takes at least two days to get there, two to get back. If you are lucky she'll be back in a week." The nurse stomped past Naruto and Sakura, who was ineffectually trying to calm Naruto. As they watched her storm away, they noticed Sasuke for the first time.

Sakura looked at him worriedly, noticing without much work how badly he looked. "What happened, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke shrugged and walked over to stand next to Kakashi's bed. He looked like he was just sleeping peacefully, when in truth he was living a nightmare over and over again. "Tsunade isn't here…" The truth of these words hit him and he slowly lowered himself into the chair that was positioned next to the bed. Sasuke looked down at his former lover as the worry flooded his body.

Naruto growled and crossed his arms over his chest, "I'll go to the Sand and bring her back myself if I have to!"

Sakura walked over to stand next to Sasuke. She studied him very closely, "You should rest Sasuke-kun."

"Leave me alone…" Sasuke grumbled, never taking his eyes off of Kakashi. "it's my fault he's like this."

"WHAT!" Naruto lunged at Sasuke and since Sasuke hadn't expected the sudden movement, they both landed on the floor in a heap. Naruto punched Sasuke square in the cheek and Sasuke just turned his face and took it. He laid there under Naruto, trying his best to hide the guilt and the tears that threatened to fall. "What the hell do you mean it's your fault?"

"Itachi did this…so I take responsibility," Sasuke said, not wanting to explain to Naruto the truth behind all of it. It was almost impossible to explain the situation without revealing everything. Kakashi and him had kept the secret far too long and far too well hidden to blow it all now.

Naruto looked down at Sasuke and saw that he honestly meant what he said and that he also was dealing with a lot of guilt. As much as Sasuke was trying to hide it, it was plainly evident to any that looked at him. Naruto dropped the fist he had prepared to punch Sasuke with again, down to his side. It was no longer needed. He got up and then held out his hand to help Sasuke to his feet.

"It's not your fault for that Itachi did. You don't control your brother's actions," Naruto said, hoping this would help make Sasuke feel a little better. Sasuke nodded and took Naruto's hand. When he was back on his feet he walked over to the window and looked outside. He didn't want his teammates to see the tears in his eyes. He knew nothing they could say could make the situation any better then it was.

Naruto turned and started to head to the door, "I'm going after Tsunade-basan. Knowing here she'll stop at every casino on the way and be gone 1 month instead of 1 week!" Naruto quickly left the room and Sakura started to follow him, but not before casting one more glance at Sasuke. She didn't say anything more though, deciding Sasuke probably just wanted to be left alone.

Once she was gone Sasuke moved away from the window and went to the door, shutting it to have a little privacy. He walked back over to the bed and sat down in the chair again. He just watched Kakashi's face for any sign of awakening from the nightmare that held him. He reached out and pulled down the mask that still covered half of Kakashi's face. Sasuke leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on the older ninja's lips, letting the tears finally fall. The kiss only lasted a second before Sasuke leaned back again, replaced the mask, and wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"You should be someplace more comfortable then this…Someplace more private. They can't do anything for you here anyway." Sasuke stood up and left the room, going to the main desk. When he got there the nurse smiled at him and he merely nodded in response. "I would like to see about getting Kakashi transferred to his apartment instead of staying in the hospital room."

The nurse quirked an eyebrow at him, "Excuse me? We can't just release patients to their homes when they are comatose. We need to be able to keep an eye on them."

Sasuke shook his head, "There is nothing you will need to do or can do. It would be better for him to be in his home…Tsunade can heal him as well there as she can here." They argued for a few more minutes before the nurse grew tired of it and called upon her supervisor. After Sasuke explained just how little had to be done to take care of Kakashi, and after promising to be the one responsible for him, the supervisor agreed to arrange for his transport.

Sasuke walked back to Kakashi's room to await the arrival of the transport team. They arrived only a few seconds later with a stretcher. They carefully moved Kakashi from the bed to the stretcher and then let Sasuke lead the way towards the apartment. It took them half an hour to go the short distance to the apartment since they had to move so gingerly with the injured ninja.

The hospital workers didn't question how Sasuke knew so much about kakashi's apartment as he directed them where to put him and he went about getting extra pillows and blankets in an attempt to make Kakashi more comfortable, even though he knew the ninja wouldn't know the difference. Sasuke pulled a chair close to Kakashi's bed and settled into it. The workers gave Sasuke a few instructions and told him to call the hospital if there was any change in his condition. Sasuke merely nodded, never taking his eyes from the man that laid before him.

When the men had gone, Sasuke reached out and undid the mask that he hated so much. He wanted to be able to see Kakashi's face in its entirety. He didn't care who stopped in to visit or what Kakashi would say about it when he finally awoke. All Sasuke cared about was being able to see him. He would accept the consequences when, and if, the older ninja awoke.

Sasuke set the mask down on the night table and then reached out to stroke the soft cheek of the man he still loved despite himself. He couldn't remember the point that he had truly and deeply fallen in love, but he knew that he would never be able to stop loving the man in front of him. Tears started to fall out of Sasuke's eyes and he leaned over, laying his cheek against Kakashi's chest and just let them fall.

"Kakashi…don't leave me alone…please…" Sasuke closed his eyes tightly and sobbed silently as his clutched the sheets that covered Kakashi's body, "I can't be alone anymore…I need you…I love you so much…don't let Itachi defeat you like this…I'm here…I won't ever leave you no matter what…so please just wake up…" Sasuke turned his face and buried it into the sheets as he let the tears fall even more heavily. He didn't think he had ever cried so hard in his life.

Sasuke fell asleep shortly after this and never heard the person enter the room. The dark figure walked up and placed his hand on Sasuke's head gently, careful not to wake the boy.

"Take care little brother…I don't expect we'll see each other again for a very long time. But when we do, I hope you are better prepared to kill me," Itachi whispered this to the sleeping form of his brother, looking down at him almost tenderly. He did love his little brother, it was one of the reasons he was still alive. Although Itachi felt no regret for what he did to the Uchiha clan, he longed for the day that Sasuke would fight him equally and hoped that his death would come at the hands of his little brother. Itachi was not ready to die however and knew that it was time for him once again to leave the village.

Itachi took his hand away and leaned down, placing a kiss upon his brother's forehead. He stood up again, leaving Sasuke's forehead protector on the bed next to his head. Itachi had found it in the middle of his living room floor that morning. He figured his brother would want it back. Itachi walked towards the door quietly. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at his brother, "…I really do love you Sasuke…grow strong and find me when you are ready. I'll be waiting," Itachi smirked a little and left the room. Never once had those words uttered his lips before and never would they be said again. He would never let Sasuke knew how he really felt about him to his face. It was much better to be hated and feared by the younger Uchiha.

The anbu members came to Kakashi's apartment to take care of Itachi, reaching it just as he exited the front door. He stopped and stared at them silently as they prepared to do what the council had asked them too. Itachi was to be executed for his actions in any way possibly. They had known this wouldn't be an easy job to accomplish but since they were ordered, they had no choice, even if it cost them their own lives. They had trailed him to the apartment and now they were ready to finish the job. Just as they were about to start their attack he vanished into a puff of smoke in front of their eyes. "It's an illusion!" one shouted and they split up to try and find the real Itachi. But he was already long gone from the village.

Sasuke sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes a little. He had felt like there was something in the room with him but when he looked around all he saw was Kakashi. He looked down into the face of his teacher sadly. It was then that he noticed his forehead protector laying there. He picked it up and stared at it for several seconds, trying to figure out how it had gotten there.

As he figured it out his eyes went wide and he leapt from his chair. He ran to the window and looked outside, his eyes scanning the entire area for any sign of the black cloaked figure. All he saw were some frantic looking Anbu as they ran around the village. He knew that it was probably his brother they were searching for. His hand tightened around the protector and he gritted his teeth angrily. "One day Itachi…you will pay for everything you have done. I will kill you…" He prayed that the Anbu didn't find him first, and deep down he knew that Itachi wouldn't be found until he wanted to be found.

Sasuke walked away from the window and sat back down by the bed. He glared angrily at the sheets in front of him. He finally pushed all thoughts of his brother away again and looked at the face of his sleeping lover. "Hurry Tsunade…" He whispered as he brought his hand up to carass Kakashi's cheek. "I can't lose him too…"

Sasuke took his hand away and just sat at Kakashi's side the rest of the night, watching for any sign of life to return to the form in front of him. He didn't want to go back to sleep, for fear he might miss any sign of Kakashi awakening. Or worse, some sign of his life fading away.

For the next few days, Sasuke refused to leave Kakashi's side at any time. Sakura and Ino and others brought food and tried to get Sasuke to eat, but he refused. They figured it was just because he felt guilty for the fact that it was his brother that had done this. Never would they have guessed the real reason for his depression. When Sasuke needed to succumb to sleep, he slept in the chair with his head on Kakashi's bed and it only lasted a few hours before he was awake and watching again.

They had heard no word from Tsunade and the week was almost up. Naruto was growing more and more frustrated and all his attempts to go after her himself were halted by various people. Iruka was a regular at Kakashi's bedside, as was Jiraiya for the first part of the week. But Jiraiya had since stopped coming once the middle of the week had come. Sasuke figured he had gone after Tsunade himself and when Naruto also stopped showing up, he was almost sure of it.

Several of the other genin also stopped in to see how things were going, and almost everyone told Sasuke he should eat, sleep, and not make himself sick waiting for Kakashi to recover. He would just shrug and continue to stay by Kakashi's side. Eventually everyone stopped trying to make him do things.

It was the 6th day of Kakashi's condition when Sasuke finally decided he needed rest that involved more then him just slumped over in the chair. There was a small couch-like chair in the corner and if Sasuke curled up on it he would be able to sleep comfortably. He stood up and stretched a little, his body stiff from sitting in one place and sleeping in one place for so long. He walked over to the couch and curled up on it, enjoying the feeling of actually being able to lay down. He looked at Kakashi's sleeping face one last time before closing his own eyes. He was asleep almost instantly.

Tsunade entered the gates of Konoha with Naruto and Jiraiya walking behind her. Shizune had gone on ahead to check on things with the council. Tsunade was not pleased that things had taken a turn while she was away. She knew she couldn't trust Itachi. She was almost snarling as she stomped her way towards Kakashi's apartment. She was not happy that she had been pulled away from a week of relaxation and gambling to deal with cleaning up other people's messes. She had finished her work with the council of the Sand early, just so she could have a little time off.

As she reached the doorway to the apartment she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Jiraiya and Naruto. "You said that Sasuke refuses to leave his side correct?"

Naruto nodded and looked down at the ground sadly, "Yeah…he must feel really bad about what Itachi did."

Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a look. They both knew the real reason for Sasuke's depression, but they didn't want to say it in front of Naruto. Jiraiya placed his hand on Naruto's head, "Lets go get something to eat. Ramen. My treat."

Naruto would normally jump at the chance but he looked up at Jiraiya, "I want to check on Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke."

"I'm sure their conditions haven't changed since you left. I would prefer to do this alone." Tsunade turned and left them outside, proceeding up the stairs only after she had locked the door behind her to try and keep Naruto from coming after her. If Sasuke was there when Kakashi woke up, she was sure he would be quick to express his joy, despite the fact that others were present. Tsunade didn't want to take the chance of Naruto finding out about them. She stopped halfway up, waiting until she heard Jiraiya finally able to coax Naruto away. She then proceeded up the stairs quietly.


	9. Awakening

There is only one chapter left after this I would like to say that the Lake scene has been posted on my livejournal. information on that is in my profile. You do need to friend the journal in order to read yaoi fics, which means you do need to have an actual lj of your own. Sorry to do this, but it is the only way I felt comfortable posting it. ljs are free though and it just takes a minute to sign up if you don't have one.

So now onto this chapter!

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Tsunade pushed the door open very gently, peeking in and taking in the scene in case she was intruding on anything. When she saw that Sasuke was getting some much needed rest, she walked the rest of the way in silently, careful to make very little sound at all. She stopped as she reached the couch that Sasuke was curled up on and looked down at him with a frown. He was very visibly thinner and she knew that what Jiraiya had told her was not a lie. She continued to Kakashi's bedside and immediately began the healing process. She didn't want to waste any more time. The more time he was in the coma-like state, the harder it was to heal him.

It took several minutes, but Kakashi finally opened his eyes groggily and stared up at the familiar ceiling of his room. When he finally had regained enough senses to realize where he was he sat up in bed, pushing himself up very slowly. He looked like he was drugged and Tsunade sat down in the chair that Sasuke had been keeping warm for the last week. She waited for him to get a little more of a hold on himself before she spoke to him.

When he looked like he was finally starting to understand where he was, Tsunade said, "Welcome back to the world of the living."

The feminine voice that came from his left side was familiar but it took him a few more seconds to actually place it, let alone realize that someone real had actually spoken to him. He turned his head and came face to face with the fifth Hokage.

"How do you feel?" Tsunade asked quietly, being mindful of the sleeping genin behind her.

"About like I did last time Itachi did that to me." Kakashi said, rubbing his eyes a little with the back of his hand. He still felt completely out of it, but he was trying his best to pull himself completely out of the nightmare that had gripped him for what had felt like months. "How long did it last this time?"

"About a week. I was out of town so I wasn't able to pull you out of it immediately. But if you didn't get yourself into that mess, I wouldn't have had to cut my vacation short. I heard you were partly to blame for it happening so I don't have any pity for you," Tsunade crossed her arms and legs and gave Kakashi a small glare.

Kakashi looked down at his hands a little ashamed. He definitely felt worse about the whole situation then he even had before Itachi had put him through that hell. Watching Sasuke cry almost endlessly was enough to make him feel guilty enough for ten people. "You know what I did?"

"I've heard different versions. Perhaps you care to explain the actual reason for Itachi's attack?" Tsunade sat back in the chair, waiting patiently for his response. "I'm also curious as to how badly he made you suffer."

Kakashi shuddered a little as the images flashed in his brain again, "It was Sasuke…over and over again…he was crying over what I had done. It was terrible. I'm such as bastard…" Kakashi brought a hand to his face and covered it, wanting to cry himself for the pain he caused the one person he loved. "I broke his heart…"

"Why would you do something like that? Its obvious you didn't want to." Jiraiya had only told her what Itachi had said, she had figured out on her own that Kakashi had hurt Sasuke in a way that directly affected their relationship.

"I had to…I didn't want him to get hurt. That letter you gave me caused it. They threatened to hurt him, and I couldn't just let that happen. I figured if I let him go then they wouldn't touch him. I didn't realize that by doing that, I would be hurting him just as much. I was stupid…" Kakashi's voice wavered as he tried to hold back his own tears. He was certain that Sasuke would never want to even look at him again. "He probably hates me now."

Tsunade felt the need to keep the fact that Sasuke was in the room a secret for a few minutes more. The kid was out like a light behind her and she felt sure he wouldn't wake up while this was going on, "Do you blame him?"

"No…I hate myself for what I've done. What hurts the most is the fact that Itachi was there for him when I couldn't be," Kakashi sighed and dropped his hand down onto the bed again.

"Do you still love him?" Tsunade still didn't entirely understand their relationship or how it had even come to be, but she didn't pass judgment on it. If they wanted to be together, then she wasn't going to tell them they couldn't be that way.

"I never stopped…I just couldn't bare to see him get hurt," Kakashi whispered.

"And yet you hurt him? That's hard to understand."

"I know!" Kakashi sounded exasperated and depressed with the whole conversation. Tsunade decided to shift things a little bit.

"Itachi has left the village. He fled shortly after he did this to you," Tsunade watched his facial expressions very closely to see how he would react to this news.

Kakashi's head shot up and he stared at her, "He left Sasuke all alone again? Sasuke can't handle that…he'll do something drastic if we aren't careful. Or…" Kakashi choked at the next thought that came to him, "He took Sasuke with him…"

Tsunade smiled slightly. Kakashi's worst fear was obvious now. He feared the thought of losing Sasuke more then anything else. This was all she needed to prove that Kakashi still loved the younger ninja. "No…he's still in the village."

Kakashi looked relieved, but as he turned his face away, depression seemed to set in as a new realization came to him. "He probably never wants to see me again though does he?" He asked quietly.

"Actually…it is quite the contrary." Tsunade stood up and moved the chair out of the way so that Kakashi could see the sleeping form of his former lover.

Kakashi's breath caught in his throat as he watched the boy sleep. In Kakashi's eyes it was the most adorable sight he had ever seen.

"He has been here every day since you collapsed. That's dedication," Tsunade said as she walked over to check on Sasuke. He was sound asleep, making up for the week's worth of not getting more then a few hours a night.

"He's crazy then…no one should be that dedicated to one person," Kakashi was in awe that Sasuke had stayed with him like that, but he was confused as well. He couldn't understand why he would after all that Kakashi had done to him. "I don't deserve to be the object of that dedication."

Tsunade stormed over to Kakashi's bed side, "That boy loves you more then life itself. He has sat here, no food, barely any sleep, all because he couldn't stand the thought of being away from you for one second. He feared the worst and so he spent every moment up here, in this chair, waiting for you to wake up on your own. You weren't strong enough to take care of him, to go up against Itachi, or to break out of that dream yourself. You need to start growing a backbone, Kakashi! Cause he's going to need someone strong after all the shit that Itachi has put him through. Especially all he's gone through this week."

Kakashi looked down at his sheets. "I don't want to hurt him again…if he stays with me that is exactly what will happen."

Tsunade glared down at Kakashi, "Don't disappoint this boy that has stayed by your side for an entire week…never once leaving you for longer then five minutes…barely eating or sleeping. He deserves more then just an uncomfortable thank you. By making him leave, you'll only hurt him more." Tsunade took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down and lower her voice before she woke Sasuke up herself. "That boy loves you, no matter what you have done, no matter who you are, no matter what anyone thinks of it. He is here because he can't stand to be apart from you. You say he cried in your nightmare…why do you think that is? Its cause it hurt him so much to lose you. Can you imagine what he would do if you told him to just leave? It would break his heart all over again…enough that he might actually do something stupid like end his life, or leave the village. Do you want that on your conscious? Do you want to give away the one person you love more then anything? Can you really afford to lose that?"

Kakashi looked over at the curled up form of Sasuke and couldn't help but once again think of how cute the boy looked laying there. "I don't want to lose him…"

"Then don't." Tsunade plopped down in her chair. She didn't realize that giving love advice to a man could be so difficult. "Tell him you love him and want him back and that you don't care what happens, you'll be by his side always. That is what he needs more then anything. You're promise that you love him. Explain to him why you did what you did, because he's going to need to know the truth."

Kakashi watched Sasuke for a few seconds and then nodded slowly. "I will…I can't bear the thought of bringing more tears to his face. I want him to be happy…I love him so much."

Tsunade smiled as she watched him, his attention glued to that of the sleeping boy. "I'm sure those words will be the best things his ears have heard in quite a while. Its good to know that Itachi's dream might have taught you something at least."

Kakashi smiled slightly and looked back at Tsunade. "It was a big kick in the teeth is what it was. It was his way of telling me what a bastard I was, without actually saying it. I guess he even has a few brotherly protective moments in him."

Tsunade shrugged, "He was supposedly a good brother at one time. But he's gone, so you shouldn't think of him now. All that matters is you two." Tsunade stood up, "So with that said, I think I should take my leave. Naruto is probably about bursting to find out if you are okay." Tsunade stretched a little. "I'll do my best to keep him out of here for a few more days, just try and make your reunion relatively quick. I don't want him busting in here while you two are in the middle of 'making up'" She was amused when a pink tint came to Kakashi's pale cheeks as he blushed at the thought of what she was implying.

Tsunade started towards the door, but Kakashi's voice stopped her, "Tsunade…"

She turned and raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah?"

He looked up and smiled at her, "Thanks…looks like you gave me a good kick to the teeth too. I needed it."

Tsunade grinned, "Anytime. Now get some rest. You still aren't fully recovered, just conscious." Kakashi nodded and watched the door close behind her before looking back at Sasuke one last time. He laid back down in bed and closed his eyes, dreaming of what he was going to say when Sasuke awoke.

Kakashi opened his eyes slowly and immediately noticed the feel of something heavy on his stomach as he tried to shift his position a little. When he looked down he noticed Sasuke's head was laying on it. His breathing was slow and even and his eyes were closed, indicating he was sleeping peacefully atop his Kakashi pillow.

The boy looked so adorable that Kakashi reached down and stroked the soft skin of his pale cheek. "You'll get sick because you stayed like this so much and it will be my fault…" He frowned a little at the thought as he realized just how thin Sasuke was looking.

His voice must have been too loud or the touch too hard for Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. He stared groggily ahead of him, his eyes still half closed. His bangs were halfway obscuring his vision and for a moment he just thought he was dreaming that Kakashi's hand had moved.

"Good morning sleepyhead…" Kakashi whispered tenderly, his hand still touching Sasuke's cheek.

At this Sasuke's head jerked up and he stared at Kakashi for several seconds, his jaw hanging open. Then tears sprang to his eyes and he lurched forward, throwing his arms around Kakashi's neck.

"Thank god…I thought I'd lost you for sure this time…" Sasuke's voice was muffled as he buried his face in Kakashi's chest. Kakashi could feel the wetness from Sasuke's tears. He had almost forgotten how much he loved the feel of Sasuke's body close to his.

He wrapped his arms around the slender waist of his young lover, "I'm so sorry Sasuke…for everything I said and did…I love you so much…I want you to know that. I never once stopped loving you and it was a mistake to push you away."

Sasuke jerked back and looked into Kakashi's eyes, "You mean it? You take back everything…?" His eyes were hopeful and his body was trembling a little from the anticipation of the answer. He suddenly looked like an eight year old boy, waiting to be praised by his father for something he had done well. It tore Kakashi up inside to think Sasuke had believed his lies so fully.

"Yes. What I said before was a poor attempt at protecting you. I feared losing you so much, that I thought if I pushed you away then I would save both of us. I realize now just how wrong I was.…I want you back Sasuke…it was a mistake to let you go…I just didn't want to hurt you…and instead I hurt you more. I never meant to cause you so much pain and I wish I could take it all back…I love you so much…" before he could say anymore Sasuke's lips pressed hard against Kakashi's. It was a brief and violent kiss but it was enough to send shivers of desire down Kakashi's spine. He truly did love every inch of the boy in his arms.

Upon breaking the kiss Sasuke put his head against Kakashi's chest again, "It hurt more then anything to hear you say those words before…At first I didn't want to believe them, but the more Itachi told me and the more I thought about it, the more I believe them. I never want to lose you, ever."

"I know that now, and I'm sorry about what I said. I can never apologize enough for what I have done." Kakashi held Sasuke tight against his chest. He kissed him tenderly on the forehead.

"Stay with me always…please Kakashi," Sasuke said softly, nuzzling Kakashi's neck with his nose. Sasuke truly couldn't imagine his life without Kakashi now. It had been so painful to be without him and this had been the hardest week of his life, waiting to see if he would live or if he would die. Sasuke knew that if Kakashi hadn't survived, then he most likely would not have. He couldn't bare the thought of living without him anymore. The worst thing in the world for him now was to be alone.

"I promise…" And Kakashi swore to himself that he would keep it this time.

Sasuke crawled up onto the bed and into Kakashi's lap. He closed his eyes as he Kakashi cradled him close. They stayed like this in silence for almost ten minutes, just enjoying the feeling of each others presence back in their lives. Suddenly Kakashi remembered that the boy hadn't eaten barely anything in a week according to Tsunade.

"Sasuke…I'm hungry but I have strict orders from Tsunade not to move."

Sasuke practically jumped to his feet. "What do you want? I can get anything you need. Sasuke ran around the room grabbing his shoes and some money and anything else he could think of needing.

Kakashi watched him with an amused smile. "Anything. I haven't eaten in a week you know."

Sasuke suddenly stopped running around and almost on cue his stomach gave a loud growl that seemed to fill up the room. Sasuke turned a bright red in embarrassment but Kakashi merely laughed. "And make sure you get enough for yourself as well."

"I guess I really haven't eaten much either…It just never occurred to me." Sasuke was lying through his teeth. He had almost been spoon fed by everyone who entered the room, but he just didn't have an appetite at that time and had refused it. Now he realized just how hungry he was. "what would you like me to get?"

"You can decide…and perhaps you should stop and tell everyone that I'm okay. Especially Naruto. Apparently he's been close to beating down the door since yesterday to make sure we were both alive. Tsunade and Jiraiya have been trying to keep him in check." Kakashi sat up and leaned back against the headboard of his bed.

Sasuke nodded and walked over to the bedside. "Agreed. I'll do all that and be back as fast as I can." He leaned over and kissed Kakashi in what was meant to be a goodbye kiss, but both their bodies seemed to respond almost instinctively to it. Sasuke started to crawl back into bed, all thoughts of food leaving him as another thought started to push its way in.

It was Kakashi that finally broke it before it could escalate into more. He still wasn't recovered and if he didn't get food into Sasuke soon he was afraid the boy would be nothing but bone. His breathing was a little heavy as he carefully pushed Sasuke back into a standing position. "Food first…then desert," Kakashi smirked a little but Sasuke had a look of utter desire written all over his face.

"Can't eating wait just a…"

"No! Go! I'm afraid I'll break you if you don't get some food into you." Kakashi smacked Sasuke's butt to get him moving, but this only furthered Sasuke's desire to stay. He moved unwillingly away from the bed though, pouting every step of the way.

"This isn't fair…" Sasuke grumbled as he walked sullenly to the door.

"The faster you do all the errands and get the food, the faster we can get back to that," Kakashi teased.

This was enough to send Sasuke running out the door.


	10. Conclusion

The last chapter is finally here Thank you all for reading and I hope you have enjoyed it!

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The next day, Kakashi was seated in bed, his arm draped lazily around Sasuke as the afternoon sun started to pour in his window. Kakash was watching the boy slep peacefully, his head in Kakashi's lap. As Sasuke started to wake he turned his head a little, wanting to bury his face in order to block some of the light from his eyes. Kakashi said quietly, "Be careful…don't do anything perverted, we have guests."

Sasuke mumbled something incoherent in a half-asleep state, not fully grasping what Kakashi had said. It slowly started to sink in, and a few seconds later he jerked up into a sitting position in surprise. He looked around quickly and immediately spotted Jiraiya and Tsunade sitting in the couch that Sasuke had slept in that one night. His face turned a bright shade of red and he slid under the covers quickly, covering his head with the sheet.

Kakashi snickered, "I said not to be perverted…OW!" Kakashi winced as he felt a pinch in his side. "Kidding geez…" He grinned at his two guests. They also gave the lump beneath the sheets an amused look.

"Don't be so embarrassed Sasuke…we think you two are adorable," Tsunade coed with a smile. She wasn't normally one to be awed by anything cute, but the sight of the sleeping Sasuke and the look on Kakashi's face as he had watched his young lover had made even her gush a little. She had been a little surprised when Jiraiya had even remarked at how peaceful the young Uchiha had looked as he had slept.

Tsunade knew just how much Sasuke needed someone after all he had been through. The fact that it was a male and his teacher that he had found comfort in was something that she knew would probably be frowned upon by normal society, but she was pleased that Sasuke had someone to turn to now.

Sasuke stayed hidden, planning to not emerge until he was sure his face had returned to its normal color.

Jiraiya decided to continue the conversation they had been having prior to Sasuke's waking up, in the hopes that it might calm the younger ninja. "The men said that Itachi provided them with the information and delivered the letter to Tsunade's office, but that was as far as his involvement went. Apparently he had warned them that if they went after Sasuke he would kill them, but they didn't listen."

Sasuke listened silently as Kakashi spoke, "So why did he even help them?"

Tsunade shrugged a little, "Apparently he just wanted you out of the way. He didn't want anyone else to get close to Sasuke."

Sasuke slowly emerged from his hiding place. He looked angrily down at the sheets as he gripped them tightly, "Why can't he just let me be happy? Why does he do these kinds of things?

Tsunade shook her head, "Who knows what is going through his head…"

"I'm going to kill him. I won't let him do this anymore." Sasuke stopped as he felt Kakashi's hand on his head. He turned his head and looked up at his lover who was smiling down at him.

"He won't. I won't let him hurt you ever again," Kakashi said quietly, wrapping his arm around Sasuke's shoulders and hugging him close.

Tsunade smiled slightly and nudged Jiraiya, "Its like one of your crappy novels."

"Only its two men. Now if Sasuke was a sexy big-breasted blond like you then this would be perfect. I think I may have my next story!" Jiraiya grinned but that didn't last long as Tsunade punched him hard enough to send him flying across the room. He crashed in the wall hard, leaving a significant dent in it. "ow ow ow…"

Tsunade held up her fist and glared at Jiraiya, "Pervert."

Kakashi grinned, "Don't hurt him too bad. I'm going to be waiting anxiously for that novel."

Sasuke growled and pinched Kakashi in the side, "You don't need some stupid new porn novel."

Kakashi leaned over and whispered in Sasuke's ear, "Where do you think I get all my ideas for us from?"

Sasuke blushed brightly and glanced over at Tsunade to make sure she hadn't heard what he had said. Luckily she was still arguing with Jiraiya. Kakashi laughed a little and kissed Sasuke's forehead which immediately calmed Sasuke's anxieties. He laid his head against Kakashi's chest and closed his eyes. Kakashi gave him a little squeeze.

Tsunade noticed all this and stood up. She walked over to Jiraiya and grabbed his collar, dragging him towards the door. "I think we should leave you two alone now. Come on pervert."

Jiraiya waved as he was dragged, a large smile on his face. "See you later…much later I'm assuming."

Sasuke buried his face once again in Kakashi's chest, trying to hide the blush. Kakashi just smiled and waved, "Bye, thanks for visiting."

Tsunade stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder at them, "Don't stay in bed all day. There are others that are waiting to see you now that you have recovered. The rest of your team is anxiously waiting for some sign that they are allowed to visit."

"Yeah, Naruto is about ready to explode. Please let him visit before he drives me up the wall," Jiraiya grumbled.

Kakashi agreed and Tsunade reached for the door handle. As she opened the door she paused and looked at them again. "I would still be careful if I was you. Making your relationship public knowledge might not be a good idea. Most of society will probably not approve of your relationship."

Jiraiya looked at them seriously as well, "We may accept it, but there are many that will look at the age difference and look at the fact you are both male and raise a lot of hell over it. Just try to lay low for awhile."

Kakashi nodded, "We know. None of what happened will change the way we do things. We know the consequences. No matter what happens, no matter if everyone finds out, we will still love each other and should the time come where we have to chose between the village and our relationship, then we will do what our hearts tell us to."

Sasuke looked up at Kakashi, a slightly shocked expression on his face. Kakashi had never talked about them like that to anyone and hearing him actually say that he loved him in front of Jiraiya and Tsunade was almost enough to make his heart leap from his chest. He realized for the first time just how much he wanted to be able to be with Kakashi openly and how having people finally know the secret was a weight lifted off of them. He knew that they would have to continue being together in secret, but at least he could rely on Jiraiya or Tsunade to be there for them if they were needed.

Tsunade nodded, "Your secret is safe with us. Let us hope you never have to make that choice."

"Yeah, because it would be terrible to lose two fine ninjas," Jiraiya smiled and Tsunade once again started to drag him out the door. He waved as the door shot behind him.

Sasuke continued to stare up at Kakashi. Kakashi looked down at him and raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong? Why such an odd expression?"

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Kakashi and hugged him tight, laying his head on Kakashi's chest again. "You said you loved me."

"I always say it." Kakashi looked slightly confused

Sasuke shook his head, "but never in front of anyone. That makes me surprisingly happy."

Kakashi smiled softly and put his hand on Sasuke's head, "I wish I could shout it to the whole world. Maybe someday I can."

Sasuke blushed and looked up at him, "I wouldn't go that far."

"Aw why not? Don't you love me enough to shout it from the rooftops?" Kakashi was joking with him but Sasuke gave him a serious look.

"I love you more then anything. I don't want you to ever think otherwise…its just…" Sasuke looked away sadly, "So many people would disapprove and it would force us apart, I'm sure of it."

Kakashi embraced Sasuke again, giving him a comforting squeeze, "I'll never let them take you from me. No matter what anyone says, there is nothing wrong with us being together. You should be allowed to be with the one you love, no matter who they are."

Sasuke smiled and rested comfortably against his lover. "Yeah…Maybe someday we can tell Naruto and Sakura."

Kakashi grinned, "Only if you really want to break Sakura's heart."

Sasuke flinched, "True. Maybe we should wait awhile for that then."

They were quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying each others presence. Sasuke closed his eyes and wished that they could stay like that forever. He had never felt more peaceful and happy in his life and he didn't want that feeling to ever go away.

"Should we enjoy the day in bed, or should we do what Tsunade said and go visiting?" Kakashi said softly as he petted Sasuke's hair gently.

Sasuke didn't move away, "They can wait one more day…maybe more."

"That is very greedy of you Sasuke-kun," Kakashi smiled teasingly.

"You really shouldn't go out yet. You don't have your strength back yet. And I think I'm developing a cold…" Sasuke puts his hand to his forehead, "Yes, definitely a fever. I certainly shouldn't go outside.

"You are a bad boy."

"Are you going to punish me for it?" Sasuke sat up and smirked a little.

"Perhaps…or perhaps I'll reward you," Kakashi leaned over and pressed his lips roughly against Sasukes, kissing him aggressively. When they broke they were both breathless. They smiled at each other as they caught their breath. Kakashi brought his hand to Sasuke's face and caressed his cheek, "You are so adorable."

Sasuke snickered, "I didn't realize you had a fetish for cute things."

"I don't. You are the only cute thing I love," Kakashi smiled and leaned over, kissing Sasuke's forehead.

"I never considered myself cute before."

"Well you are, among other things. So just accept it." They smiled at each other before Sasuke curled up against Kakashi again. Sasuke closed his eyes and snuggled as close as he could get. Kakashi held him close and closed his eyes as well as he just enjoyed the feeling of Sasuke in his arms.

The afternoon sun rose higher in the sky and it was bright as it beat into the window of Kakashi's room. But neither of them cared as they continued to be together with no intentions of leaving the room for quite sometime. They wanted to enjoy their time together for as long as they could before they had to go back to hiding their true feelings from the rest of the world. After all they had been through lately; as far as they were concerned the rest of the world could wait for one more day.

The end.


End file.
